Transformers: Classics

[Skids]

Hopping ahead briefly from last time, we find Ultra Magnus and his remaining team,
Prowl
Hot Rod
Bumblebee
Dinobot
Grimlock
Ironhide
Hound
Strafe
Cliffjumper
Sunstreaker
Sideswipe
Blaster
Countdown
Nightbeat
Fireflight
plus Leozack (Freed for his assisting the Autobots in escaping Autobase when held captive, and vouched for by his buddy/rival Grimlock), have been rescued, and are aboard an Autobot freighter (slow-traveling) piloted by two Autobots, Longrack, the captain, and Big Daddy, the first mate; both Autobots formerly served on Cybertron, under Leo Prime, Big Daddy rather recently (As of the story where Leo Prime came to Earth) but were permanently “reassigned” due to having personalities the controlling and manipulative Leo Prime deemed undesirable due to “personality dysfunctions”. In other words, Longrack doesn’t know when to shut up, a bad quality for Intelligence Division, and nobody can understand a word Big Daddy says (Plus, in Leo Prime’s opinion, Big Daddy botched the mission where he was sent to Earth to bodyguard Leo Prime’s contingent, i.e. the incident where Leo Prime was nearly overtaken by The Fallen. Leo Prime might even be said to blame Big Daddy a bit for not protecting him, an unfair accusation.).

Longrack happened to be passing near the sol system, or so he claims, and caught Ultra Magnus’s SOS. All of the Autobots onboard are fully repaired, since they had time in their base to rearm, refuel and be in the CR chambers. Even Bumblebee has recovered from his fusion cannon blast, partially thanks to the regeneration virus that they were infected with when he was shot.

When we join the group en route to Cybertron, Magnus, Prowl, Bumblebee and Dinobot have just finished recounting recent events on Earth to Longrack (A demoted former intelligence operative, and thus a useful ally). Hot Rod is also standing nearby, though not really part of the conversation. (As usual, he would say.)

Longrack comments that, with all of their perspectives contributing to the story, he now has a good grasp of the situation. He warns them, however, that Leo Prime will not be pleased to see them; whether this is due to the way the situation on Earth shaped out (Autobase captured, two craft lost, troops killed or captured), or simply because they’re still alive and he wishes they’d go away, he leaves up in the air. He adds that he and Big Daddy aren’t so popular on Cybertron themselves, right now.

Meanwhile, Countdown (Still suffering persistent headaches from meeting The Fallen) and Nightbeat (recovering from his catatonic mental lock-up episode during the zombie incident) sit in the corner, and Getaway snoozes in car mode above them. (More of his quirkiness.)

The resident battle nuts (Grimlock, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide, now joined by Leozack, are all swapping war stories and showing off their guns and other weapons. Sunstreaker is casually pointing his gun at Grimlock’s torso while chatting with Cliffjumper about his new weapons picked up at base (Combat Knife and gatling gun). Grimlock asks him politely enough to stop pointing the gun at his Spark, but says that his head would be okay (And repositions the gun); “at least that way it be quicker”.

Sideswipe is sulking nearby, probably worried about how they left men behind AGAIN. He dislikes fleeing from any conflict, whereas the four near him are more excited about rejoining the larger war and getting knee-deep in Decepticon gore on Cybertron, where conflict, while partly died down due to the fracturing of the Decepticon leadership, still rages in certain hot spots.

Hound and Fireflight are looking out the observation port, missing their comrades left on Earth (Ravage, and the surviving Aerialbots.) Hound expresses concern for poor Ravage, all on his own; Fireflight replies that it isn’t as bad as your team leader taking a killing shot meant for you, and the rest of your team being stuck in cold storage and possibly now in Decepticon hands.

Over with the war nuts, Ironhide quietly asks Grimlock if having a Decepticon onboard is such a good idea; Grimlock vouches for him. Leozack chooses that inopportune moment to makes a point to proclaim that although he is among honorable Autobot warrior brothers, he is STILL a Decepticon (And spins around to flash his wing symbols.). He then produces his huge sword.

Sunstreaker notices Nightbeat and Countdown in the corner, and asks unpleasantly what’s wrong with them. Sideswipe, the much more compassionate twin, comes to Nightbeat’s defense, saying he hasn’t been the same since “The incident”. Sunstreaker asks what that was, and Grimlock loudly proclaims, “Oh, when him head was crushed by Galvatron!” Big deal, Sunstreaker thinks, I’ve done worse than that before breakfast. Ironhide admonishes Grimlock for shooting his big mouth off.

Sideswipe walks over and asks Nightbeat more personally how he’s doing; Nightbeat comments that it feels surreal to be “alone” all the time; Muzzle, his Headmaster, used to be a constant buzz in his head, and how that he’s gone, Nightbeat feels alone. When it happened, he also feels that he “died” in a way, though he’s hesitant to admit this.

Meanwhile, Longrack has excused himself to go pilot the ship (It should be worrying that nobody was in the cockpit ^_^), leaving Prowl, Blaster, Bumblebee and Magnus to discuss matters.

Prowl has several things on his mind. First of all, he is rather concerned with the unusual design of Leozack, whose experimental bodyframe catches his interest. Magnus calls Strafe over(Who seems to have completely forgotten Rocketbot, also behind on Earth) over to give a scientific assessment. The Technobot replies that it appears that raw Energon was piped directly into his body…he’s probably irradiating them as they speak, Prowl comments. Magnus questions what facility could turn out such a unit, to which Prowl replies that none on the books would, but he’s heard whispers of secret laboratories in the past. He’ll do some digging once he’s back on Cybertron.

Strafe brushes up against Magnus, to which the older Autobot bristles…he then apologizes…he’s still not used to being without armor. He feels…naked. Yes, Prowl comments, how IS he planning to handle the fact that he now looks clearly like a Prime.

Also, throughout this conversation, Magnus has been cocking his gun to emphasize points, which is making the others a bit uncomfortable, especially since he DOES look just like a white Classics Prime.

Rodimus replies that looking like Prime shouldn’t be such a big deal…being a Prime never counted for much where he was concerned, and he for one is especially NOT looking forward to Cybertron, because “remembering the’ good old days’” just reminds him of how “bad they really were”. His main grievance seems to be that he didn’t do much, back then, his status as Prime making him more a figurehead, and Magnus always making the IMPORTANT calls, just like now. He’s still irritated over being basically ignored by everyone during the briefing of Longrack, which is motivating his attitude. Someone had to take charge, Magnus shoots back. Magnus feels irritated himself because he always wished Rodimus would live up to his responsibilities. Rodimus feels that Magnus always crowded him out before he could.

So, Blaster comments, trying to break the tension with a joke, “You had the touch, he (Magnus) had the power,” Hot Rod takes poorly to his jibe and stalks off. Bumblebee watches him go, and then turns back to the others. (Dinobot has left by this point to look out the viewport).

Blaster also attempts to take his leave, but Magnus comments, “Speaking of unsolved mysteries,” (Building off of the discussion of Leozack), how DID Blaster survive the regeneration virus battle without significant harm? Blaster explains how his body is an experimental design powered by the local EM fields of any area he’s in. If he told them any more info, he’d have to kill them; it’s top secret. He then excuses himself to assist Longrack with piloting duties.

The group has been pared down by another. As Blaster leaves, Fireflight wonders how he can be so cool…he left Flashback, his partner, on Earth, too! Those cassettes are a dime a dozen, Sunstreaker jabs from nearby. This does not make Hound feel any better, in fact, it makes him feel worse.

Back in the corner, with returning to Cybertron still the overall topic of discussion, Bumblebee broaches the subject of how they got Smokescreen killed, and how Leo Prime will be displeased indeed by this little issue; Magnus says that he “understands” why Bumblebee is asking about Smokescreen, but Bee preempts him: Magnus probably has it wrong, he says, taking over his old job again is the LAST thing he wants to do.

Prowl has several crucial things of his own to discuss with Magnus. He intimates that Smokescreen was always an upstart, promoted too fast, and HE is interested in the spy chief job. Bee intimates, almost acerbically, that he bets Prowl would LOVE to take over the spymaster role, and catch up on old schemes and designs. Prowl, being totally honest, does admit that he was mainly on Earth to keep an eye on Prime, and left a lot hanging as a result back home.

He moves on to the more pressing matter: with their reaching Cybertron soon enough, Leo Prime will surely attempt to divide up the unit, assigning everyone to the four winds. He’s always had a grudge against Prime’s gung-ho leadership style and this group does contain some personalities that would be very distasteful to him. Prowl says that they can all choose to work together when they get home, or go their separate ways. Or, as Magnus says, “So, they can all hang together, or all hang separately.”

Bumblebee asks if that was another of those “jokes” that Magnus is working on. Then, Bumblebee catches sight of the mourners, and still annoyed with Rodimus’s petulance, especially with Hound and Fireflight hurting for legitimate reasons, goes to cheer them up. (Or attempt to.) He’s also trying to remove himself…the talk of taking over the spy job is something he doesn’t want to participate in, lest someone appoint “Goldbug” back to his old job.

Magnus, now preoccupied with Prowl’s words, leaves, brushing past the others in the room, and walks in to speak with Longrack. Just after stepping into the room, Blaster takes him aside and lets him know that he’s working on the problem of gathering intel back on Earth; so far, he’s found out that the Cons are back on their feet and regrouping. Magnus asks how Blaster knows. “A little birdie told me.”

Magnus walks further into the room, and asks to speak to Longrack for a moment. Specifically, he asks if Longrack wouldn’t mind making an unscheduled, off the books stop-off before arriving back at Iacon to deliver the team. Longrack says he understands…not all of his cargo is “on the books” either.

[Transypoo]

A note on faction symbols.

In cybertronian society a faction symbol can tell you a lot more about a bot than just which side of the war he's on. For instance:

Autobots:

Red/standard shape: Means you support the Autobot cause.
Black: Means you are mourning a fallen loved one, friend or comrade in arms.
Rub sign: You are/were a member of Optimus Prime's crew and fly that flag rather heavily.
Squinting (movie): You, or a superior, consider you to be a top notch warrior.
Maximal: You are a member of the sub-faction 'The Maximals" created as a countermeasure to the rise of the Predacon group.
Skullcon: A secret society of aristocrats with elaborate induction rituals and monthly meeting to discuss how the future economy of Cybertron will play out.
Wings: A member of the Cybertron Elite Guard.
Purple: You are an Autobot by birth and are proud of that fact, but you can't help but side with the Decepticons.
Silver: Very rare, it means you saved Prime, or a member of the council's life in the heat of combat.
None: As meaningful as any of the others. It means you, truly, don't support either side. You might be with a group for your own reason, but you refuse to fly their flag.
G2 Autobot: You are a member of the the 'Autobot Foreign Legion.' Made up primarily of colonists, they may operate on Cybertron or else where.

Cons:

Purple/standard: Supporter of the Decepticon cause.
Black: Means you are mourning a fallen loved one, friend or comrade in arms.
Rub sign: You participated in the gladiatorial games and still believe in its meaning.
Squinting(movie): At some point you worked for/under Emirate Xeon(deceased) or currently support his political views.
Predacon: You are a member of the Predacons (There are variations on this because the original members sport an early rendering)
Skullcon: A secret society of aristocrats with elaborate induction rituals and monthly meeting to discuss how the future economy of Cybertron will play out. (Most notably worn by Ratbat.)
None: As meaningful as any of the others. It means you, truly, don't support either side. You might be with a group for your own reason, but you refuse to fly their flag.
Red: You are a Decepticon by birth/choice, but you support the Autobot cause more. (These guys are usually shot on sight.)
Silver: A badge of honer bestowed upon you by Megatron (Or the current leader) himself for one reason or another.
G2 Con: You are a supporter or member of the 'Cybertronian Empire'. Despite current circumstances you still worship the Liege Maximo. (What ever that is, crazy kids these days!)

[Skids]

On that note, here's some world building from me!

We have heard before of the Council of Primes, but Leo Prime, Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus are the only members who have been explored in detail.

Some more members are:

Big Prime: This tough drill sergeant is an uneasy comrade with Leo Prime (Who skirts the border between Maximal and Autobot) but unlike his companion, is fully allied with the Maximal subfaction, and does not wear an Autobrand or originate with their group. No-nonsense, he detests the vacillations and procedures of the council, and has too big a heart and conscience (And too short a temper) to deal with Leo Prime's political manipulation toward action and suppression, but he is one of the most popular military commanders among the Maximals, and feels that it is his obligation to represent his people in the place of some corrupt politician, like he feels Leo Prime has become. Known to say that the scariest part with Leo Prime and his philosophy of militarily crushing the Decepticons and then socially restraining and humiliating them is that "He believes his own rhetoric" and that this talk of dominance isn't just a crowd-pleaser set of lines. Feels Leo is driven, if not ruthless, enough to act on his words.

Has a big mouth and is prone to storming out of the council chambers when he runs out of patience with his fellow Primes. A bot who has the respect of the troops for putting his life on the line, and of the people for protecting them.

Primal Prime: "Who does this guy think he is, Optimus Prime?" This Prime is a Maximal by allegiance, but has beast and vehicle forms, and has modeled his conduct after Optimus Prime's (The Optimus Prime of history, not the current mental patient); may have a severe case of Primus Apotheosis, since he seems to almost be sickeningly noble and heroic, not realizing that even his idol had to make tough decisions. Is deeply distressed by Optimus Prime's recent actions, which may motivate him to be himself a little more.

Optimus Primal: (Beast Machines Supreme): This mystic individual believes in finding a balance between the technological and the organic, and is usually very calm, offering sage advice and speaking of "The seeds of the future". Prone to self-flagellation due to guilt over past mistakes. Also may show obsessive behavior. Others aren't sure what to make of him. Apparently served in a great war on Earth, but it can't be found in any of the recent records; the details of this conflict have been covered up by the Maximal Elders.

Galaxy Prime: A Prime who sports a black and red color scheme most of the time, and a blue and red one sometimes (For the sake of Primely decorum), he is a lunatic. Literally explodes with fury at others, he is a powder keg. This war nut would be more at home in a savage battlefield, knee-deep in corpses. He almost always wears huge cannons and carries a handgun, and tends to growl more than speak. He's usually away from the council (To their relief) fighting the last dregs of the Decepticons. Also distinguished himself for valor (or lunatic courage) in the Colony Wars which led to the awakening of Primus and the defeat of the Unicron Black Hole that once menaced Cybertron. Once merely a sarcastic Prime, he has gradually lost his mind over the years on the battlefield. Mainly remains on the council due to his past heroism. Carries a Cyber Key shaped like the Matrix. Best friends and combination partners with Sonic Bomber, who despite being somewhat of a rule-flaunter himself, tries to reign in his boss. He would fight the Decepticons single-handedly, and generally pushes his troops to the brink. The type of bot to be unleashed on, not deployed to, the battlefield.

Superlink Prime: A jolly, rotund individual, he is the keeper of the Spark of Combination and has a team of drones that follow him around. Best friends with the slightly mentally imbalanced Wing Saber, who spends much time combined with him as armor. He can also switch to a slightly leaner, meaner form in which he can powerlink with other Autobots. Generally tries to bring the disparate personalities of the council together; he used to be a mean-spirited war-mongering general, but eventually had an awakening when he realized he was sending young bots to their deaths for a needless cause (the harvesting of Energon, which was benefiting Big Business; the Energon companies were using the military as their pawn in off-planet wars.

Micron Prime: Link to the Mini-Con population, he is always speaking out for this downtrodden group. A very still individual, prone to long moments of standing around moving little...probably because he's used to having Mini-Cons crawling all over him. Recently returned from a long galactic sojourn with his combination partner Overload, in which they picked up new color schemes. Believes that Transformers need to remember that their size can skew the way they view the universe. Can combine with his trailer, or switch into a smaller backup body.

Omega Prime (Fire Prime + God Magnus): Formerly assigned to guarding Earth in the years that Optimus Prime and his crew were away chasing down Galvatron and Lord Zarak, Fire Prime feels uncomfortable on Cybertron, where robots walk around freely; used to disguising himself in alt mode, a constant necessity on Earth, which is no longer a a concern on his home planet. Probably uses his alt mode more than others as a result, including choosing to remain in it while resting. Is always the one to speak out in favor of more defense for Earth, a planet which is of little strategic interest to most Primes, anymore, since most of its natural resources were plundered by the Decepticons over the years and has been somewhat forgotten. Is much more concerned with the activities of the rising Predacons than declining Decepticons, due to his long-running feud with the Predacon General Gigatron. Usually linked with his brother, God Magnus.

Ginrai Prime (aka Powermaster Prime with Apex Armor): This Prime used to be a Transtector, an inanimate shell that was created as a backup body for Optimus Prime. During one war on Earth, it was imprinted with the personality of the human Ginrai and became its own Transformer. Later, he was badly damaged by Deathsaurus (Now a Predacon General) and rebuilt into Victory Leo. After serving a stint with Star Saber, the Autobot leader at the time, he has returned to his original body, with Perceptor being concerned about the animalistic tendencies that he showed as Victory Leo. Considered one of the old school of Autobots, he refuses to upgrade his body, preferring to rely on "Burning Courage" over the latest technological advances.


Alternity Prime: Not really a council member. A very mysterious and secretive individual. Comes and goes without warning. Supposedly represents a secret organization devoted to battling some huge, amorphous dimensional threats. Leo Prime would love to have more details, but he's not telling. (I'll have more on him when I actually get an Alternity Prime other than the black one; I plan to get at least either the red or silver one.)

[ShadeC4]

You forgot to put the name of the 1 before Alternity.

[Skids]

That's just a second paragraph on Optimus Prime/"Movie" Prime, explaining his origins.

[Transypoo]

Hot Shot awakes in a cave miles and miles away from the previous battle. Surrounding him are three unusual faces! He sits up and notices that they're much smaller then himself. He asks what they are, and one responds, "Yeah, we're Micro Masters, we'll go with that." "Wait," Hot Shot says, "You're minicons, I've had enough of you guys." But wait, Hot Shot suddenly notices that his hands are huge! He gets up and sees that the sky is 'three different colors!' "Enough, about th' sky, you gotta come with us, you're about to go on a special mission from Prime!" "WOW!" Hot Shot says. "Wait, isn't Prime a little crazy?" "Not, that Prime, the one you remember!" "OH RIGHT!"

Hot Shot and his three new Minicon friends trek off towards their ship. They introduce themselves along the way as Rad, Carlos, and Alexis, three Humans. They transform into a bike, skateboard, and scooter respectively and drive off. Hot Shot mentions that he never knew Humans could transform and transforms in a new and weird way that feels strange to him. Then they approach a slick green ship sitting quietly in a canyon. The back folds open the Humans roll inside and Hot Shot follows.

Inside Hotshot is confronted by a huge hologram of Optimus Prime, looking very much as he did in the old datatracks. He tells Hot Shot that he must go on a special mission that only he can accomplish, because he is Prime's best and strongest warrior! "WOW!" Hot Shot must travel to another part of the galaxy, to 'an unknown planet, that has no name, and no one knows where is, and no one's ever heard of' to retrieve the STAR SABER SWORD! "the most powerful sword in the universe!" "WOW!" The hologram shuts off and the room goes dark. Meanwhile the slick green ship takes to the air, there are strange symbols on its wings.

The ship flies off into space and jumps to transwarp. En route, Hot Shot and friends see a space whale, and friendly faces at an astro-bus stop. Then they sing a song about friendship.

The slick green ship finally lands on said unknown planet that no one's ever heard of and no one knows where is. Hot Shot and friends disembark and see the fortified temple atop the mountain peak. Hot Shot transforms and he, and the minicons, drive up the dirt road.

At the top three Decepticons look down and see the trail of dust. They ponder what it could be, and then realize it's an Autobot. Strangely, they don't open fire. Hot Shot asks his new friends for help as he doesn't have any weapons with him. They gladly attach and boost him with chain saws and an engine-gun. One of the Decepticons calls out. "Hey, Autobot, what are you doing here!" Hot Shot shifts to ramming speed. "Hey, stop!" calls out another Con. Hot Shot goes ramming through one's legs slicing it clean off, he then goes in to a breaking turn and fires at it until it explodes and dies. Another Con cries out "What are you doing!?" As Hot Shot Transforms. Carlos attaches himself to Hot Shot and activates Hot Shot's 'fusion cannon'. Hot Shot shoots the larger of the Cons and he goes down cursing, then another shot and he's dead. The last of the Cons pulls out his guns crying out 'surrender!' Hot Shot guns this guy down, too.

All the Cons dead, Hot Shot can now go inside and fight the "Dark Knight!" (Ha ha, unintentional Batman reference!) Hot Shot looks at the huge door leading into the inner sanctum, and for a moment sees and Autobot symbol on the door... but he's not too sure. "Hey, man," Carlos says, "lotsa stuff looks like other stuff." Carlos' accent seems to get thicker and thicker. Hot Shot agrees to this and enters.

Inside the air is thick with smoke. The looming figure of the Dark Knight turns its head towards Hot Shot. "What do you want, young Autobot?"
"I'm here for the Star Saber Sword!" "Many have tried to take the sword from me before, but I have sworn to protect it."
Hot Shot fires at the Dark Knight only for his shot to be deflected. "GIVE ME THE SWORD!"
"No. But if you insist on taking it, I am more than capable of defeating you."
Hot Shot lunges forward but the Dark Knight knocks him back. "I will give you one last chance, surrender.
"NEVER!" Hot Shot lunges forward again and manages to get a punch in.
The Dark Knight rises again and draws the Star Saber. "You can still back down and leave."
Hot Shot lunges forward again but before he can even reach the Dark Knight, the Dark Knight swings the Star Saber it gives a defining crack as it whips through the air and sends shock-waves throwing Hot Shot back into the wall. Carlos, Rad, and Alexis give Hot Shot a pep talk. "You can do eet, man!" "Yeah, it'll be wicked sweet!" "Remember Prime wants you to get that sword." "YOU'RE RIGHT! RAAAHH!"

Once again Hot Shot lunges towards the Dark Knight, avoiding the Star Saber and manages to hit the Dark Knight down onto one knee. "You are fast, Young Autobot, but not fast enough." The Dark Knight activates a Cyberplanet Key, and with devastating force manages to tear up his chamber, but Hot Shot dodges each successive blow until he, with a single punch, knocks the Knight to the ground, and the sword rattling across the floor. Carlos, Rad, and Alexis all egg Hot Shot on to take the sword and stab it into the spark of the Knight. Hot Shot hesitates, but with the chants of "Do it! Do it!" he finally succumbs and takes the life of the Dark Knight. Then, suddenly, the sword breaks up into three Minicons that start dancing around happy to be free! Yay!

Hot Shot and all his new friends return to the sleek green ship to go to another unknown planet that no one's ever heard of, and no one knows where is, to meet up with Prime. Prime is HUGE and looks exactly like he did in the old Datatracks. Prime asks for the sword, but Hot Shot wants to keep it and have more adventures. Prime gets a little dark and demands the sword NOW. Hot Show reluctantly hands it over. "Excellent work Hot Shot." Prime says and as the sword passes in front of his face it transforms from the Minicon Star Saber sword into the proper Star Saber and Optimus Prime into The Fallen. "I may have to send you on MORE special missions."

Flash back to Hot Shot killing the Decepticons, they were Autobots protecting the Temple. The Dark Knight was Vector Prime, and Hot Sot's powers were really Skystalker cloaked. Rad, Carlos and Alexis were really High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock. And the sleek green ship... was Mindwipe; secretly controlling everyone's minds so they could not see Skystalker, so that Hot Shot would see what he wanted to see, so that Autobot blood, seemingly, was shed by a fellow Autobot.

[Skids]

Countdown thought he vaguely remembered falling asleep in the makeshift quarters on Longrack's ship, shared with a bunch of other powered-out Autobots, making a temporary home for themselves amid the crates of bootleg goods. Sunstreaker kept kicking him in the head in his "sleep", but he finally slipped into a fitful slumber. A gaseous yet liquid darkness took him. A suffocating blackness, infiltrating his every pore, slowly and cloyingly, filling his mouth, seeping into his nostrils, pouring into his eyes, gradually but surely filling him with its essence, horrible and yet familiar, so familiar...where has he felt it before/ Filling him up...can't breath...can't BREATHE! (Why is he breathing?!) MUST ESCAPE! MUST BE FREE...!!!

Countdown feels as if he swims through the muggy gloom for hours, days, years, yet in his frantic flailing, scratching, clawing (When did the darkness become so solid?), every second feels like one instant away from oblivion. Darker, darker, darker, up, up, up...LIGHT!

Countdown bursts through the morass, only to find that it isn't a liquid at all, it's a solid...a solid mass of corpses, fellow Transformers, stretched out as far as the eye can see. He's on Cybertron, but not Cybertron, Cybertron is over there...what's happening to Cybertron, by PRIMUS! Cybertron is eating itself! The world, drenched in inky shadows, suddenly goes sharply, painfully white. Someone just kicked him in the head. There's a steel boot grinding on his skull, beveled edges on the base of a metal foot working their way into his face. So heavy, how can a foot be so impossibly heavy?! He struggles against the oppressive shadow of the heel, only for his reward to be the mocking laughter of his assailant. Then suddenly, there is the voice of another. He silences this one. "Enough toying with these worms; if they are sworn to peace, let them die in agony." The boot recedes...he sees his assailant, lifting a gun...at least he thinks it's a gun, the barrel is about a million miles long, and at the other end, far at the other end...Prime?! Of course, it would be Prime. But why can't he see him clearly? He's in shadow, constantly, even though the sky, space itself, is blood red. It isn't just that he's looming over him with a gun. Prime's done that before. The gun. Oh god the gun. Countdown stares down (up? He's on his back) into the barrel, expanding until it's bigger than the universe itself, then that black hole of doom splitting in half, two round maws ready to swallow him up. "No, SCOURGE, don't waste your ammunition on this lower being. The PRIME is still out here somewhere, after all. Begging for our bullets. The Master grows...impatient with our dalliances, pleasurable as you might find them in your limited capacity for intellectual stimulation". This one is tall, angular, purple and gray. Where has he seen this one before? Those ears. "And besides, if we don't reign HIM in, soon..." The purple one gestures out of Countdown's field of view. Countdown turns his head to see an angelic-white figure, wings spread against the moon...that's no moon, that's...he's throttling some poor, hapless maroon individual with flames emblazoned on his chest. Countdown turns back to the Prime. The Prime studies him for a moment, then stows the gun (Which isn't so long after all...and Prime not using a gun?! And why is Prime always in the shadows? Wait, those aren't shadows, he's actually---), and draws a crimson saber from behind his back...Countdown braces for the agony of Spark Separation, as the executioner draws the blade back over his shoulder, ready to decapitate the Autobot...as he swings, the Prime says, "I told you, my name is Black Conv--"

Countdown can't hear the rest of what he said. He's far away, very far away. He's flying! He's free! Well, his head, anyway. Back to Earth. Er, Cybertron. Back to reality, with a crunch. Before he drops into the pit of pitted bodies, he catches a last glimpse of a headless robot (Is that HIM? Can't be. Looks nothing like him. Poor guy, had the same fate at the hands of that black Prime. A double execution, he guesses. Funny how he didn't notice the other guy) fall, oil spurting from the neck hole. He can hear the Prime chuckling, the purple one says, "That's not what you used to call yourself. And it's not what you're called now." "We'll just have to see about that. If he's going to call me that, the least he could do is pronounce it right."

Just before his head hits rock bottom, he wakes up. With a JOLT! Sunstreaker is still kicking him the head. He half-remembers someone doing that in a dream. But there's not use dwelling on that, there's work to be done. Besides, it was just a dream.

He dozes off again, after deactivating his pain receptors for good measure. The kicking continues. Gradually becomes the beating of his own footsteps across a rough-hewn orange metallic plain. Cybertron. Must be the golden age he'd heard about. Not as nice as he'd imagined from the history texts. Downright apocalyptic. Hellishly hot, mountains of contorted bodies reaching for the heavens, which are on FIRE! But he doesn't have time to drink in the terrible scenery, which might choke him. He's running...for his life! He doesn't dare look behind him, he knows that whatever it is, it's too horrible to imagine. The gnarly terrain slices into his feet, burrs and spines tear at his flesh as he rushes, half-blind (There's a gash across his face!) through the wildness. Finally, he can run no more--the ground has other plans, rising up in front of him, tossing him away, dropping him roughly on his back. From upside-down, he sees it coming.

The TRUCK. The truck!!! Black and silver, roaring across the landscape, smashing everything in its path, the baked landscape, to flinders, its headlights blindingly bright, its windshield a glaring crimson eye, its hull glowing with an oily sheen in the blazing sun. He thought the pounding in his ears was the sound of his own rushing fluids, but now that he's unceremoniously stopped cold, by no choice of his own, he realizes that it's still going on....a dull roar, growing louder and louder as the wheels of the truck (The TRUCK!) bear down relentlessly upon him. It's almost unbearable now, the noise and the light and the thunder in the ground as it bears down on his hapless form, turning his world white. And then it explodes. Goes flying into the air, contorting, reforming, into PRIME! That Prime again! Where he he seen him before?! Laughter, hysterical laughter...he realizes it's his own after a second or two, as the Prime, as if in slow motion, purest black against the molten sun, descends upon him, crimson sword ready to pierce his Spark.

When, suddenly, a hand, impossibly huge, erupts from beneath them, dredging buried corpses into the brightness, Countdown caught up in its dull gray, dirty palm, as wide as the plane itself, stretching far as the eye can see, as if it WERE the plane, as if the stuff of the planet itself had come alive and taken humanoid substance and form. Above him, through the rain of scrap and iron, he glimpses, impossibly far away, the Prime speared on a razor-sharp pinnacle that Countdown's consciousness gradually resolves into a towering fingertip, fluids spraying spastically from the Prime's body. And then, suddenly, the face, terribly huge and frightful, the demon, chaos-bringer, destroyer of worlds, UNICRON!!!

They're falling, faster, faster, into the gaping, fanged maw, burning at its pit with a hellishly cold, icy-hot jade green inner fire. He consigns himself to oblivion, either in the gnashing jaws, whose scraping teeth summon a thunder that rattles the bones, or in the frozen inferno that lies beyond it. And then, just when he's saying his prayers to Primus, everything explodes.

A searing comet descends from the heavens, slamming into Unicron's dread visage, and sending everything around flying, including Countdown (Curious how often he ends up airborne. Should have chosen a flight mode.). As Unicron tumbles backwards, in that slow-motion way that indescribably huge and heavy things do, the comet resolves into into a terrible figure, wreathed in flames: The FALLEN. (How did he know that name?) The Fallen observes the tumbling beast, falling back into the Cybertron from which it burst (Why was Unicron inside CYBERTRON?! I thought Primus was supposed to be---) as dust clouds as high as mountains billow forth, contemplatively, almost gently...then turns, suddenly, sharping, jabbing a finger through the air...at Countdown, who realizes that he's stopped falling...and the FALLEN is right in front of him. The creature mumbles something in an arcane dialect, its words hot and acid, its gaze piercing him, its claws, fingers, so many fingers, digging into his head, his face, his MIND, everything going black again, so black, so hot...so suffocating! Must. Be. FREE! Countdown screams a blood-curdling scream, jerks sharply forward, feels a bone-harring crack. The Fallen...well, falls, back, face shattered to fragments, as Countdown finds himself propelled suddenly back by the sheer telekinetic force of the creature's agony, optics stretched wide, desperate for the light, mouth gasping for air, half-crazed, driven by unknowable primal urges to be free regardless of the fact, which he acknowledges on some remote, detached medically curious level, that gooey pieces of his molten skull are still stuck to the Fallen's fingertips. Nightmare visions, nightmares within this nightmare, things he can't bear to look at, and yet knows he MUST, dance before his darkening vision...he fights them with the light, optics growing impossibly huge, trying to drink in as much of the searing sun as they can to burn the phantasms away, striving to make this world as real, as crystal-clear as he can, in an effort to battle away the legions of illusion.

And then in an instant, he regrets it all. For what he sees in this reality is more terrible than any darkling dream. The Fallen is plunging away from him, reaching out frantically (For his hand? HIS hand?!), as Unicron surges up once more from the depths to devour him, and all light besides. And in that last instant, before Unicron's jaws snap closed on the figure, fading from fiery to an ashy gray, he catches a single glimpse of the face behind The Fallen's unknowable mask. He knows that face. With that same curious detachment with which he contemplated his own torment, realizes that, why, it's the face of Optimus Prime. But how very odd that would be.

He wakes up screaming.
Sunstreaker, half asleep, shoots him in the kneecap.
The rest is silence.

[Transypoo]

Duuuuude.... DUDE! That was awesome!

[ShadeC4]

... That was a poem.

[Transypoo]

Symbology update.

The faction symbol emblazoned upon a Transformer cannot be changed at the drop of a hat, it is more like a tattoo and is only changed after some large life altering event. Not surprisingly most bots choose to change their symbols when upgrading into a new body.

Autobots:

Color:

Red: STD Autobot color. Citizens of Autobot colonies/areas.
Black: In mourning. Usually of a loved one or brother(s) in arms.
Purple: Autobot by birth but supporter of the Decepticon cause, yet not willing to out and out join them.
Bronze: commendation for services to the Autobot cause.
Silver: Given to Autobots who have risked life and limb in service to the autobot cause/nation, and have won seemingly impossible battles.
Gold: Given to Autobots who have risked life and limb to save a member of the Counsel, a member of the Senate, or the Prime.
Etc: Some bots like to have a custom color to mach their paint jobs, these bots are usually rather egotistical.

Shape:

STD: Autobot Citizen.
W/ Wings: A member of the Cybertron Elite Guard. Sort of a combination of the FBI, CIA, NSA, DOD, and Secret Service.
Squinting (movie): Usually worn by seasoned warriors and veterans of countless battles. It can be self imposed or be given to you (unofficially) by a superior. (Although it is also frequently worn by jerks who want to look tough.)
G2 Autobot: A member of the Autobot Foreign legion Made up, primarily, of colonists, they may operate on Cybertron or else where. (Good for hunting fugitives) Founded by Optimus Prime when the Autobots lost Cybertron to the Decepticon and Autobots were living abroad. Most combatant Autobots were members at this time but it has shrunk significantly.
Rub Sign: Supporters of Optimus Prime. It has fallen out of favor recently due to Prime's recent activities.
None: Some Transformers choose not to have a symbol for their own reasons. Some don't like either side, others because it's less suspicious when across enemy lines, others do business with both factions.
S7 Cube: Autobots who believe in the teachings of Sigma Septimus, that the Allspark is a physical thing in real location, now lost to us. He also preached that 'we all are descendants of the Omnicons, our galactic selves.' He also requires that new members of his religous movement pay huge amounts of Energon to the church. *coughcultcough*
Maximal: Members of the Maximals are fairly new, they were created to keep up with the rising Predacon sub-faction among the Decepticons. They mostly take on organic alt forms, which does not make them the most popular bots with some of the older crowd. (A lot of existing animal form Bots also became members.) Catilla was one of the founding members and it's reported that the symbol was based off of him.
Skullcon: A secret society of aristocrats with elaborate induction rituals and monthly meetings to discuss how the future economy of Cybertron will play out. (Membership is usually kept more secretive amongst Autobots, but there are tells.)

Decepticons:

Color:

Prurple: Combatants for Decepticon cause wear this color proudly.
Black: In mourning of a fallen comrade/squad.
Red: These despicable creatures are proud Decepticons by birth, but for unfathomable reasons believe in the Autobot lies. They are shot on sight and most are either in hiding, or have allied themselves with their precious Autobots. Better dead than Red.
Bronze: A minor award, most likely for slaughtering Autobots.
Silver: A warning to those who wear it, Megatron (or another leader) is aware of you.
Gold: You have pleased Megatron. (Or said other leaders.)
White: Special missions. These are Cons who are sent on the most dangerous of the dangerous missions, whether because you have the skills necessary to deal with the situation or because we don't want to see you again.
Etc: Some Decepticons have non-traditional colors. They will be dealt with in turn.

Shape:

STD: A Decepticon combatant.
W/ Wings: Stealth Forces. These are the Decepticons you never see, even when it's too late.
Squinting (movie): Recently there has been a resurgence in the political views of Emirate Xeon(deceased), Cons who support him wear this symbol.
G2 Decepticon: Supporters or members of the now defunct 'Cybertronian Empire'. Despite current circumstances they still worship the Liege Maximo.(deceased)
Rub Sign: Participants in the gladiatorial games that still believe in its meaning. Although some wear this symbol despite being too young to have been in the games.
None: Some Decepticons do not have a faction symbol. Most were former Imperials, but some choose not to have any symbole for their own reasons.
S7 Cube: Decepticons are not members of the cult of Sigma Septimus. By penalty of death.
Predacon: Originally the most feared combiner team, they gained quite a following, mostly of Cons with Organic alt-forms. They joined forces with the Insecticons and grew even stronger. Recently, they were delt a serious blow when their leader, Razorclaw, was eviscerated.
Skullcon: A secret society of aristocrats with elaborate induction rituals and monthly meetings to discuss how the future economy of Cybertron will play out. Ratbat is the most notorious member as he is willing to whip out this symbol given half a chance to make himself seem more important.

[ShadeC4]

I'm curious what a TF who'd dare to wear both insignias at the same time would be regarded as...

[Transypoo]

Well, Dinobot and (Counter)Punch both have two, but they're both spies...

Someone who has both I don't think would be well regarded by either faction, but more tolerated by the Bots.